While I did not grow up or ever live in Norway, I did grow up under the influence of a Norwegian grandmother and grandfather. Have you ever heard of Jante? It describes my grandparents to a 'T.' I really did not like them at all when I was growing up. They were very mean - well 'harsh' is a better word. No one is better than anyone else, no one is special, you are not capable of anything more than anyone else, you shall not be treated special, etc, etc... I always considered it 'ancient' and views they held only because as my mother called it, they were 'old world.' Looking back on it, I realize they could have been so very mean and harsh not because they were from Norway, but because they were Lutheran. A lot of the same beliefs. Their views were in direct opposition to current parenting views - nowadays we try everyday to tell our children how they are special and can achieve anything they want in life and should work at it and expect to succeed.






>>>>>Here's O.J.'s new motto...
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>>>>>"If, at first you don't succeed....try, try again..."
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>>>>>Maybe O.J. and Barry Bonds can be cell-mates together, if both go to jail.
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>>>>>Oh, wait....Barry Bonds will go to a nice prison....O.J. will go to Federal P.M.I.T.A. prison
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>>>>Here in Norway we have a big problem with especially Russians who perform small criminal acts and make sure to be caught. The standard in our prisons is much higher than in their own homes, and the food is much better. So they prefer to spend some time in our prisons, especially in the coldest part of the winters. I would not think that O.J.'s situation was that bad.
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>>>I read an article about Norway the other day. It made a pretty good case that it might be the best country in the world to live in. I was particularly impressed by the way oil revenue (I had no idea there was so much of it) was put away in a contingency fund for the future. If only we were that smart....
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>>Over the last about ten years the government has put away about 400,000,000,000 USD. And with only 4.6 million people, that's a looot of money. The money is invested, and will partly pay our pensions in the future.
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>Partly pay? LOL. Are you all guaranteed annual vacations to the tropical locale of your choice and conjugal visits from your favorite Hollywood stars? <g>
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>Seriously, it's quite an accomplishment to be in such an enviable position. You have the twin luxuries of massive oil revenue and a small, homogeneous population, so maybe it's easier to do in Norway than in a lot of other places. But still.
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>The article I read said the per capita income in Norway is something like 65,000 U.S. dollars, adding that culturally it is unhip in the extreme to be ostentatious. As a Norwegian, which the writer was not, do you agree with that?